Post by Takuya on Jan 22, 2010 6:54:10 GMT 1
Shinigami
There are two different types of souls in the Soul Society. Just as in the Living world, most people are normal. There is nothing unique about them, and they go about their lives not really knowing any different. Most souls are also just normal beings once being sent to Soul Society. Most of them do not remember their past, and most do not have any special abilities. These souls are called Pluses.
However there are some rare people though who seem to just be a little bit more than the rest, this makes up the second group. They can use, and possess their own Reiatsu. As this is a part of them, they face a dilemma that most souls do not: They need to eat. If you starve yourself, your soul will die., and be reincarnated back to Earth. Souls without Reiatsu do not need to eat, but it is an unconscious comfort to do so, as a small part of them remembers they once lived.
Not all ‘special’ souls become Shinigami. Some choose to simply live life with the rest of the residents of Soul Society in odd houses with large banners while making fireworks for a living and riding around on boars. Others still actually attended the Shinigami Academy, but either they found it not to be for them, or were not selected to be in one of the thirteen Divisions upon graduation. The ladder is very rare, as it is seen as dangerous to leave souls out to wander after receiving the basics of training within the Shinigami Realm.
Time in the Academy[/size]
Once enrolled, a Shinigami in training will spend many of their next years learning the fundamental combat and kidô techniques needed to do their job effectively. This time is a minimum of six years for special cases, with a break each summer of about three weeks in length. It is possible to spend even less time than that, but only incredibly powerful Souls manage this. It is an oddity, and one that is not common. (As such, this requires admin approval on the site.)
Most Shinigami are enrolled at least ten or more years, where combat or kidô specialist must spend even more time training before they can truly be considered a true ‘specialist’. The first half of their time within the Academy is usually spent on developing different techniques and strategies, and seeing what abilities the person is generally good at. Once they have established their main abilities, the rest of the time is spent on focusing on the learning of those abilities and Shunpo.
There are two groupings of classes in the Academy aside from the different forms of combat. The students are either normal, or in Advanced classes. Not many students are special enough to be in the advanced classes, which are reserved for people with exceptional skill, or those of a noble house. Those in the Advanced Class are almost guaranteed a place into one of the Thirteen Divisions Seated Officers. Not to say those in regular classes will not get a chance, just that the advanced class takers are practically a sure thing.
There are four areas of training for Shinigami in the Academy: Hakuda, or Hand to Hand combat, Kidô, Hohô/Shunpô and Zanjutsu. Hakuda and Zanjutsu (the sword style which utilizes the Zanpakutô) are a Shinigami’s means of primary offense as well as defense. Here a Shinigami can be trained in specialty combat styles as well, such as Judo, Taekwondo and others should the student wish. Speed, or Hoho, is often considered a staple ability with these techniques as well, and as such it is commonly trained in conjunction with one or more of the styles.
Kidô is not something everyone can control, let alone master. There are two primary styles; Hado, or the Way of Destruction, and Bakudo, or the Way of Binding. As the names imply, one style is more offensive, while the other is more defensive. There are also other uses of kidô, such as healing. This training requires vast amounts of concentration, as being out of focus for even a moment can cause dangerous results, even accidentally deadly. The stronger the kidô, the more involved the invocation, or incantation, as well. Those more versed in kidô can forget the ceremony of the current kidô being used, but it will drastically lose its effectiveness unless this is done by someone who is considered a ‘master’. Those who excel in the other forms of combat are not as skilled in kidô, and vice versa unless they have been a Shinigami for a very long time.
Lastly, there is Agility, or speed training. Most Shinigami are trained in Hohô, but this is a bit different then Shunpô, and not to be confused. Hohô is where a Shinigami is taught how to focus their Reiatsu inwardly, and to use it to make their reflexes a little faster. This will also help them to cover distances faster than running on their own would. Shunpô is are more specialized version of this ability, and takes intense training to complete. People can ‘fake’ doing Shunpô, but it’s not the real deal. However, it can appear to be Shunpô when someone’s speed is very slow compared to your own. Speed isn’t just about your own level, but the level of others.
In addition, there is training with one’s Zanpakutô and trying to communicate with its spirit, which is covered in another help ‘file’.
Upon graduation, a Shinigami is sized up, and the Captains then choose who they will accept into their Division. Some choices are a bit obvious, such as who might be placed into the Fourth or Eleventh divisions. Others go through a careful screening process.
Unseated members usually share rooms with up to four other people, and once seated, those Shinigami are upgraded into their own personal room. For very obvious reasons though, there is no mingling of genders in shared rooms though.
The Uniforms of the Shinigami[/size]
Most Gotei 13 personnel wear the standard shinigami uniform, called shihakushô(garment of dead souls?) - a white kosode (short-sleeved under-kimono), a black kimono and hakama, and a white obi sash. In the past it wasn’t really allowed to have personalized uniforms, but with the change of time, it’s really free game. However most of the time you’ll find everyone in their standard uniform with a few added accessories, or slight modifications.
Although the general Special Forces uniform appears to be the standard shinigami uniform, the Executive Militia uniform is different from the Gotei 13. Overall, it resembles a ninja uniform. It has no visible white undergarments and the sash is dark as opposed to white. A headpiece covers the bottom part of the face and sometimes the top, but not the eyes; they wear no sandals, but long tabi boots, and tight bands are on the legs and arms to keep the clothes from moving too much, which both are presumably for silence of movement. The Correctional Force uniform is radically different. The soldiers wear a white uniform, a long piece of headgear, and a backpack.
Duties of a Shinigami[/size]
The first duty of the Shinigami is to perform 'Soul Burial'. In this process, the Shinigami will wander the Human World and protect the souls of humans who have died, but have yet to pass on. This can be for a variety of reasons, such as their fear to go to Hell, or some large importance that has kept their spirit chained to the earth. The shinigami's duty is to aid the spirit in completing its' task and then performing a Ritual upon the soul by placing the hilt of their sword upon someone's head. This process, called Soul Burial, redeems the soul of any sins it might have committed, so long as they are repentant for it, and those souls are allowed into Soul Society.
During this process, it is not uncommon to run into Hollows, who are known to sense the spirits of the unburied dead, who are food for them. Because of this, the Shinigami's duty is to defeat the Hollow and protect the human's soul at all cost, as devoured souls generally end up becoming a Hollow themselves. The use of the Zanpakutou allows the Hollow's spirit, once slain, to be reincarnated back to Earth, so that they may try again to get into Soul Society. It is the process of performing many Soul Burials that often allows the Shinigami to hone their fighting skills in real fighting situations, and thus makes them eligible for the next duty of the Shinigami- the protection of Soul Society.
After spending time in the real world, preparing for the actual battles between Shinigami and Hollow, the Shinigami will often develop fighting skills and Kido ability that cannot be obtained through sheer practice alone. When this occurs, most of the time, the Shinigami will have learned the name of their zanpakutou, giving him the release ability, which is known as Shikai, or First Release. This allows the Shinigami access to power of their soul in its' finest form, making them exceptionally more skilled fighters.
It is when one has obtained Shikai that they are truly considered the guardians of Soul Society, and, more importantly, Seireitei, or the Court of Pure Souls. Training against other Shinigami who have obtained their Shikai is generally the only way for fighters of this calibur to obtain any more strength. For this reason, individuals often spend much time battling against each other, not seriously, but to hone their strengths in order to become much more capable. It is this training that will, eventually, lead to the revelation of the secondary release, known as Bankai.
Those who have obtained Bankai are a rare lot, and their abilities are, without question, the most powerful within the entire of the Court of Pure Souls. They are generally the Captains of the Thirteen Divisions, at least until recently, where every user of Bankai has vanished. These days, there is no one who has access to Bankai, although the Gotei 13 are quickly attempting to force Bankai out of their newest pupils. The prayer is that some Shinigami will arise strong enough to do something about this lack of balance... before the Hollows destroy all.
